Monday, September 25, 2017

Hoyt Buck's first knife, made from a worn out file blade in 1902 was a fixed blade. The U.S. Government requested blade donations for the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is then, in the basement of a church in 1942, that Hoyt Buck began making knives by hand. It was designed that was dialed in after 40 years of making knives to customer specifications. The anniversary edition 119 Special features a custom medallion in the handle and a 75th anniversary blade stamp. The leather sheath also features an embossed anniversary logo.

Editor's Note: I really dig the 75th Anniversary edition of this knife! Cool factoid: Les Stroud used this same knife as his survival knife in his early episodes of "Survivorman."

Hey friends, I have no affiliation with Coleman's Military Surplus, but I wanted to let you know that they just got in some rare French Army Wool Blanketsfor just under $30 bucks a piece.

What's the big deal about the French Army Wool Blanket?

Well, I've owned a bunch of different military wool blankets, including the 100% Wool GI Blanket, Polish, Russian, Italian, Yugoslavian, you name it. A while back, I bought a French Army Wool Blanket on eBay, and it blew away everything else I've owned.

The bushcraft blanket wrap allows 2 layers of wool over your body, and 3-4 layers over your feet. It is much warmer to use a wool blanket this way than just covering up with it.

Most military blankets are only 52" to 66" wide, which means you can't use them to their full potential to keep warm when sleeping.

By contrast, the French Army Wool Blanket is a full 72" wide, which is as wide as a typical Hudson Bay 4 Point Blanket, the standard in bushcrafting for wool blankets. This makes it wide enough to actually do the bushcraft blanket wrap in.

Speaking of warmth, my French Army Blanket is probably 30-40% warmer than my 100% Wool Italian Army Blanket, to give you an idea. The Italian Army Wool Blanket, which has pretty much disappeared from the market and is highly sought after, now fetches between $100 to $175 on eBay.

It is a really cool blanket, but it simply pales in comparison to the French Army Blanket in size, thickness, loft and warmth in my opinion.

Here are some comparison shots of the two:

(click to enlarge)

My French Army Wool Blanket (left), weighs 5lbs even. My Italian Army Wool Blanket (right), weighs 5lbs 4oz. The size difference between the two is noticeable:

The French Army blanket is also tough like the Italian Army Blanket in case you're worried about durability in the field.

For $29.95, this blanket is literally the steal of the century, and there's a chance you may not see them again after these are gone.

The 12 Gauge Shotgun is probably the most flexible and efficient bush gun ever made. With the ability to shoot birdshot, buckshot and slugs, it can be used to hunt any land animal in North America. This makes the 12 Gauge an excellent survival gun, with one huge caveat-- ammo weight.

12 Gauge Shells are HEAVY. Just one 25 round box of Low Brass Birdshot Shells weighs in at a hefty 2lbs 6oz.

This means that if you were to carry just two boxes of 12 Gauge shells in your pack, it would be like carrying the weight of a full size wool army blanket!

This is the reason why survival shotguns have traditionally come in .410 Bore. .410 shells are much lighter and easier to carry than 12 Gauge Shells.

The MiniShell is a shortened 1 3/4" Shotgun shell with a 5/8 ounce load of #7.5 Birdshot. MinShells are amazingly light, weighing the same as a .410 3/4 ounce shell.

To illustrate this, here is a box of 20 MiniShells weighed on a USPS Digital Postal Scale:

Here is a box of 20 Winchester .410 3" #7.5 Birdshot 3/4 oz shells weighed on the same scale:

Visual comparison of the MiniShell and .410 3/4oz shell next to each other:

I also weighed twenty Winchester AA 20 Gauge 7/8 Ounce shells to see how they compare with the .410 and 12 Gauge MiniShells. At 25.1 ounces, the 20 Gauge shells were 6 ounces heavier than the .410 3/4 oz shells and Aguila 12 Gauge MiniShells:

The Aguila MiniShell in between two full sized 12 Gauge birdshot shells:

FIELD TEST

To test the Aguila MiniShell, I wanted to see how well it would perform next to Winchester's .410 3/4oz shell.

The guns I used for the test were my trusty New England Firearms Pardner 12 Gauge Single Shot Shotgun (shown above), and my Chiappa .410 Double Badger, which has a 19" Barrel and a fixed full choke:

The Pardner, produced by Harrington & Richardson (H&R), was sadly discontinued in 2013. It has a 28" Barrel, fixed Modified choke, and a crisp 4lb trigger. Pardner shotguns are dead reliable and throw great patterns. They can easily be converted into a lightweight takedown survival shotgun with the addition of a Choate Survivor Stock. In my opinion, the Pardner shotguns were the finest single shot shotguns ever made.

The results were surprising. The target on the left is the Winchester .410 3/4 ounce shell. The target on the right is the 12 Gauge MiniShell:

As you can see, the difference is startling. At 35 Yards, the 410 has run out of steam and is at the end of its effective range:

The 12 Gauge MiniShell, which weighs exactly the same as the 410 3/4 oz shell, is still going strong at this distance and literally covered the target with pellets:

Conclusion

Overall, I am extremely impressed with Aguila's 12 Gauge MiniShells, and believe they are a game changer for wilderness survival shotguns. Not only is the MiniShell as light as a .410 3/4 ounce shell, it patterns significantly better. It also has the same blast and recoil of a .410, which would make it great for training new shooters on a 12 Gauge.

Criticisms? Yes, two minor ones. The first is that Aguila only offers their MiniShell in #7.5 Birdshot. #7.5 shot will get you by in a survival situation, but it is generally too light for rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, turkeys, etc. A #6 Birdshot option would greatly expand the usefulness of this shell for hunting.

Second is the price-- at $13-$16 for each box of twenty, these shells are more expensive than most full size high brass offerings from most manufacturers.

Criticisms aside, I think these shells are fantastic for survival use or for training new shooters on a 12 Gauge.

Because of their light weight, they finally give bush pilots, canoeists, field researchers, 4x4 and ATV enthusiasts and other outdoor adventurers the ability to carry enough ammo to make the 12 Gauge a viable wilderness survival gun.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Here's another budget bushcrafting gem I found while searching the net recently- Military Surplus 100% Wool Watch Cap. This cap is every bit as nice as the Filson Wool Cuff Cap I reviewed back in 2012. Whereas the Filson costs a whopping $45.00, this Military Surplus Wool Cap is only $6.99!

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Finally got a chance to try out Benchmade's 154BK Jungle Clip Point Bowie Knifethe other day- not bad! It feathers and splits quite well for a large (9" blade) and lightweight (10.9oz) Bowie-style blade. Will post more information on this blade as Spring approaches.

A safe way to carry spare fuel in your vehicle for bushcraft adventures and backcountry emergencies

For months, I have been looking for a safe way to carry spare fuel in my vehicle for emergencies. I frequently drive deep into the mountains far away from cell phones signals and civilization, so I like to be prepared for anything.

When I looked for a solution both locally and online, my search kept coming up empty. All of the gas cans I found were not safe to use inside a vehicle except for emergency use.

Finally, my answer came one day while surfing an Off-Road 4x4 Forum. Enthusiasts there were raving about one can in particular -- TheWavian NATO-spec Jerry Can

After trying out these Wavian cans over the last couple of months, I was quite impressed and wanted to share them with RMB readers.

Wavian Jerry Cans

SPECS:

Made from 0.9mm pickled steel

To prevent internal rust, all of cans are lined with petrol resistant alkyd-ammonia based paint – 100% safe from flaking.

Internationally Patented Locking Pin gives additional security against accidental opening of the can

Wavian Jerry Cans are standard issue for NATO Forces throughout Europe. They are built in the Eastern European country of Latvia, and have to pass very high standards to be certified for use.

These standards include a high pressure test, dropping the can from various heights, and being able to withstand being engulfed in flames for a 2 minutes without failure. Here is a video from Wavian showing these torture tests:

The 5L (1.32 Gallon) Can is great for carrying emergency fuel in smaller vehicles, or for safely storing extra White Gas for refueling Coleman Camp Stoves or liquid fuel bottles for backpacking stoves.

Easy Pouring

Aside from the Wavian can's ability to safely store fuel inside a vehicle, another great feature is that they pour much easier than any of the other post-2009 EPA fuel cans I've owned.

Anyone who's purchased these monstrosities populary known as "Obama Gas Cans" knows what I'm talking about. They are horrible!

The 2009 EPA mandated cans were supposed to be safer for the environment, but the government did such a botched job on their design that they actually spill more gas than the pre-2009 cans because they are so ridiculously hard to pour.

Not so with the Wavian Cans. For an EPA-compliant can, they pour MUCH EASIER. Not quite as a fast as a pre-2009 can (about an extra 30 seconds to empty a full can), but easy enough to make them a pleasure to use. Here is a video showing the pour rate of a Wavian EPA-spec Jerry Can versus a pre-2009 Jerry Can (starts at 2:50):

Conclusion

Wavian Jerry Cans are fantastic fuel cans, BUT, they have one catch -- at $79.95 for a full size can and $69.95 for the small can, they are not cheap.

The reason they are not cheap is because of the amount of military engineering and quality control that goes into them to make them safe, as well as the fact that they are made in Europe.

As pricy as Wavian Jerry Cans are, the ability to safely carry spare fuel ANYWHERE is more than worth the price in my humble opinion.